The Slumbering Knight
by Axormin
Summary: History depicts an eternal struggle between darkness and light. Throughout that eternal struggle was a battle predicted to possibly end the conflict. It all started with one family, and three close friends.
1. Moonlit Reminiscence

**Prologue**

 **Moonlit Reminiscence**

"History is an amusing thing, always changing to fit the winners, the ignorant, and the fearful.

Heh…when history is recorded the truth can be sometimes "incorrect" to someone's beliefs, and understanding of concepts. Eventually it is probably recorded as something else entirely.

This type of scenario is a common development between nobodies and light dwellers. I guess they like to forget what happened or remove it from history. What caused the issue... for maybe, it reminds them of their own stupidity and ignorance.

If only things were different…. where the idiotic light dwellers didn't classify my people as evil monsters. Our race originated from the light dwellers, so why do they fear and hate us. It's...it's infuriating.

I should probably reconsider the offer the old traveler gave me, even if he was stubborn in his beliefs. What was the old man's name again?

"Hey Umbra, Focus! You've been spacing out for the last minute". My thoughts were interrupted by my brother Tavlis. A man always seen in his ashen silver plate armor with his old void knight crest on it, usually with his spiked wolfish helmet on but…Between family it's never on, showing his seemingly bleached silverish white hair pulled back to show his entire face.

"Uh….. Sorry about that Tav. I was thinking about life and other things".

"Well, you have time for that when I'm gone for the exam". Tavlis reciprocated with a playfulness he reserved for only close friends and family.

"So that's why you asked to talk to me by the moonlight beach. Is the exam even that important? You're going to leave Yulia alone with the kids?" I responded with a mix of concern and ignorance.

"Well, I shouldn't talk about it, but you're family... so that doesn't matter. My old friend Eraqus is having a mark of mastery exam for his apprentices, and Terra is one of them taking the exam. So I feel it's necessary to help get him ready for it".

Tavlis always had this excitement when he talked about Eraqus and his apprentices. He especially talked about this Terra guy the most frequently. I have never met any of his 'extended family' as he called it, but it seems they're really important to him.

"Umbra, have a good moon cycle. I have to finish packing and say goodbye to Inanis and Unmei ." Tavlis got up from his spot on the ocean side hill and walked to the Sekeme estate seemingly fulfilled.

"Hey! Wait, you can't say goodbye to Yulia and the heirs without me, Tav!"

"Well...Then you have a knight to beat in a race don't you!" Tavlis says as he starts to break into a sprint.

When the two brothers sprinted to their family estate, the two would look back at this cheerful moment, time and time again.

" _This was the last night I ever shared a peaceful evening with my brother"  
_

* * *

 **Four years earlier**

 **Badlands**

Black creatures made of flowing shadow surrounded an eleven or twelve year old boy with blonde windswept hair, his clothes a tan striped shirt with a black and white jacket, multi colored bulky pants with metal plates and chainmail within and metal boots covering his feet and a backhanded key shaped sword to protect him from the surrounding creatures.

The boy flinched with fear and briskly surveyed the area for an opening to get away, seeing no opening.

"Please don't do this, Master. I'm not strong enough!" The boy yelled voice full of fear.

His hope and fear directed towards a seemingly decrepit bald old man with a bush of white hair on his chin wearing a white long shirt with a black and grey coat, dark colored boots covered his feet, and white gloves covered his hands.

"No, it's because you are trying to hold it in. Let the dark impulses waken in the pit of your heart!" His smooth yet raspy voice giving the boy words of encouragement that bordered on being threats.

"Release them, here and now! Sharpen your fear into rage!"

The boy's fear started to bubble into something more than just for the creatures around him.

The boy focused his inner energies and tried to pull the energy of his anger and fear from himself into matter from his light filled heart, but... when he tried and tried all that happened was this feeling of rejection from the forces he was trying to channel within and outside himself destroying his focus.

He grunted in fear and failure, as the creatures started to get closer, he started hoping even more that his master would save him from these creatures of living shadow.

"You must! If you do not let the storm within you run its course, it will wipe you from the face of this world, make no mistake!"

The boy centered his mind on embracing the energy that gave life to the creatures around him and when he tried to channel it…

For a split second he succeeded, he felt the cold but somewhat warm embrace of energy. Like new blood pumping in his veins, giving him a sense of strength and bliss.

For as quick as it appeared, the empowering energy was immediately rejected. A scolding hot flow of bright energy formed from inside his body. The bright energy made him feel like his insides were being devoured as it consumed and repelled the channeled energy and with the last of energy taken away from him.

His hope of saving himself disappeared as well.

...The creatures got closer, the boy flinched and steadied his protective stance with his blade against his arm preparing to make a last stand.

"Do it! Embrace the darkness" The old man almost roared at his apprentice spreading his arms with the announcement of his words.

"Produce for your Master... the X-blade!" He lifted his spread arms to the sky and looked up with a twisted form of excitement.

One of the shadow creatures jumped on the boy and he moved his arms to brace his head to fend off the monster and after the creature slammed into him, all he saw was the endless gray plane of his unconscious mind.

The old man's face contorted from its form of twisted glee to one of sheer and utter disappointment, with a gesture of his wrist the creatures faded away. Some to the sky, others into the ground. The Master using his vast and experienced mind formed white energy that became an endless black within a split second to brace his drop to his apprentice. The rock surface ground under his heeled boots as he walked, making a sigh of disappointment at his apprentice's failure. Hearing the faint grunts of his apprentice from his unknowingly failed channeling.

"Really? You would rather die than use the power?" He without knowledge of the boy's attempt assumes the boy is too pure hearted to be useful on his own. "Feckless neophyte." He put his boot on the side of the blonde and kicked him to his back.

"If I must….I will extract the darkness from within you myself." He summoned his own key-shaped sword. But this one was seemingly ancient in appearance. A metal goat's head in the middle of the hilt of the blade with a Blueish bestial eye in the top with a possibly broken side on the top that makes it more key shaped, a chain with a charm that had the same eye on it hanged from the bottom of its handle.

The Yellow eyed man turned the blade upside down with his hands and positioned it above the boy's chest. A bright energy formed from the tip and it turned black a second later as it blasted itself into the chest of the boy,burning a part of fabric on his armored jacket, reflexively opening his eyes from the pain. His mind unable to process his surroundings all he could do was gasp as the radiant energy simmered outside his chest. The energy slipped from his chest into a glowing sphere. The boy felt his heart. No, his soul become fractured as the sphere floated above his now unconscious body, slightly twitching from the agonizing pain.

As the glowing sphere floated into the air, the light that formed it seemed to be pulling at the air and space around it like it was trying to drag something from its surroundings, as dark energy responded to the call of the light, embracing it until it was completely smothered by the tenebrous energy.

The smothered sphere of light formed the dark energy around it into a sphere of dark, and a sixteen year looking being with a black glass fronted helmet in a dark black and red flesh like bodysuit with similar patterned boots was formed.

The Bodysuit figure glowed with bright violent energy as the light on the blonde boy's chest glowed brighter and as it grew brighter the boy's body started to lift off the ground and the glowing stopped. The boy's green eyes now cold and dead looking.

The Dark suited young man floated down to the rocky surface of the plateau. The orange yellow eyed man smirked at the masked boy and said "Empty creature from Ventus riven… to you, the name Vanitas shall be given." "Yes, Master" the Boy says with a voice deeper and colder to the blonde's own.

* * *

 **?**

 **Present**

A boy with blonde windswept hair and green almost glowing eyes awakened from the bed of his room. Feeling a cold sweat go down his neck as he tried to fall back to sleep. "What…was that dream….when I try to piece it together it fades away. Like its being pulled from my head." Anxiety and exhaustion overtake him as he tried to remember what he just dreamed.

* * *

 **AN: This is a beginning of a large project. A whole series that will eventually go through most of the KH Timeline. This is my first Fic on this site, but that won't stop me from making it the highest quality It can be.**


	2. Star-filled Departure

**Moonlight Margin**

 _"Tavlis, you trust the light spawn too easily. They'll betray you and mark you as a monster whenever they have the chance,"_ Umbra thought with distain as he stood on the cold beach looking at the eternal moon.

 _"Never thought I would consider the old man's offer but it seems it's the optimal course of action."_ Umbra pulled something from his coat and stretched out his gloved hand in front of him. He opened his hand for a split second and when he clenched it, a lightless portal opens.

" _The fanatical old fool is probably at that "graveyard" of his."_ The self-proclaimed historian thought as he disappears into the portal.

* * *

 **Sekeme Estate**

Tavlis was searching through the cupboards and drawers of his and Yulia's room with a hidden sense of urgency. _"Why didn't I let the one of the gargoyles hide the gifts instead of hiding it where I would forget the place of it? I thought I would remember, but I don't. They're not in the alcove behind the bedside chest….Yulia moved them, didn't she…."_

As that thought struck Tavlis, he noticed the near unnoticeable presence of his wife sitting on top of the wardrobe, her legs moving back and forth with a grin on her pale olive face.

"Sir Tsuito, You should know out of all people that it's a bad idea to forget your 'going away' gifts and especially not tell the lady of the house about the gifts since she's your lover." Yulia asserts with a sense of mischief and disappointment.

Yulia. From Tavlis' perspective is a beautiful thin woman with dark brown hair so dark it looks like tinted obsidian thread. Eyes, a bright violet and she always seemed to wear a variant of an armored hooded cloak with black gloves and metal tipped nova-shadow skin boots. This current moment she's wearing a royal blue dress under her cloak with her special pendant with the void knight crest on it, a wedding gift from Tavlis.

"Where are the gifts Yul?" Tavlis responded as his hand subconsciously wandered to the charm with the Sekeme family crest under his chain mail laced shirt.

"Where would you want them to be? You can't say what I know you would, even if I would have enjoyed hearing it. But our little swordswoman and scholar are arguing right outside the door."

As if a spell of silence was broken, the sounds of the two siblings talking appeared. One a young anxious boy and the other a younger annoyed girl. "Nany, we should leave mother and father alone. Mother said she was going to give dad a special 'have a nice trip' gift," the female whispered with annoyance to her older brother.

"Unmei….I told you not to call me Nany, My name is I-nan-is Inanis it's not hard to say. Besides I wanted to know what the gift she was going to give dad is, because you talked about not being about to sleep two weeks ago when mother gave dad a gift, you said it sounded like a titan guardian being energy blasted while its channeling its own energy blasts." The boy replied with a reserved and supposedly knowledgeable tone.

As soon as the words were put into the air Yulia pouted disappointedly, but not a playful disappointment one that showed fatigue, motherly and baroness responsibility. Yulia snapped her gloved fingers and the door's lock clicked and flew open with swift grace.

"You two shouldn't be eavesdropping on your parents. I was discussing dad's gifts for you two, for when he leaves for a few cycles." Yulia declared with her arms crossed, a motherly air around her.

"Sorry, Mother!" Both children nearly yelled when they flinched from being discovered. Unmei, a four or five year old girl with dark almost obsidian ashen brown hair, violet eyes and a sword sheath on her back (it would be on her side if she was big enough). Inanis, a six or seven year old boy with pearl white hair, reddish violet eyes, a royal purple cap on his head and a scientific journal under his right arm.

"Well…since you two are impatient or curious enough to not wait till morning for their gifts, let's give them to you two now." Yulia divulged to the children staring at either one when certain words were said with a sense of unwanted stress in her voice.

Yulia walked over to her side of the large emperor size bed that she and Tavlis share almost every night. Crouching down to the lower part of the bedside and the near unnoticeable sound of a dial clicking with metal hinges being used with the sound of fabric and plastic rumbling when her hand is in the pseudo safe. She pulled out a blade with a midnight crimson handle and a tinted damascus metal sheath in her left hand and an old but extremely well kept and cared for encyclopedia sized book under her right arm.

The two heirs looked at their mother with equal excitement as curiosity flushed through their minds." Mei, this blade and sheath was crafted with the orichalcum from the shield of an old councilman of war, dark matter ribbons from the highest points in the moonlit sky, mythril, adamantine, and gale essence from the blade and body of one of our longest serving Orcus guards, with this they will see you as one of them and will train you. It's truly a blade for a knight, a leader, and especially an heir to the family name."

Yulia lowered the blade into Unmei's excited vambrace covered arms. "Thank you so much, mommy!" Unmei said as she hugged her mother with a deep smile on her face. After the embrace ended, Unmei sheathed blade in hand started running to the training yard outside the manor.

"Now for you Inanis, one of the three books used by your great-grandfather in his research about the realms and other worlds." Yulia assured as she pulls the book from under her arm and lowered it into Inanis' pale hands.

"Each book has the same words in it because the books are magically synced to write what additional knowledge was put into them. Uncle Umbra keeps one himself and another is locked in the library safe to keep it protected. You should feel honored to have such a source of realm breaking knowledge in your hands."

"Thank you, Mother." Inanis uttered and he slowly half-steps to the open embrace of his loving mother. Through the sleeves of her cloak Yulia could hear her son stating words of how he would always keep it safe, read through it and make new discoveries for the rest of his life.

"Now. Inanis go enjoy the journal as well as the new grimoire I put in your room." As the information left her lips, Inanis left her embrace and started to walk outside sight of the door, he happily waved goodbye to his parents with a grin on his face.

Tavlis sat on the side of the large bed waiting for Yulia's body language to imply the kids have gone a fair distance away from the room.

"M'lady what's the 'have a nice trip' present Unmei was talking about?" Tavlis remarked with a tone that showed he knew what was to come. Yulia sat on the floor and started to take off her gloves, cloak and boots after stripping to only in her stockings, dress, and undergarments she walked and with grace sat on the lap of Tavlis.

"Today has been tiring and stressful, I want my personal knight to make that go away" The countess of the Sekeme estate whispered in her lover's ear as she pushed him to the bed lovingly and lustfully. All illumination quickly left the room as the sound of lips connecting and clothing sliding off appeared.

* * *

As moonlight started to shine through the blinds of the windows in the bedroom, signifying morning for the realm. Tavlis was begrudgingly slipping out of the loving embrace of his near naked wife. As he stared at her sleeping form, he struggled to keep from staying in the bed with her. After Tavlis freed himself from the love laced chains on his mind, he slowly started to put his thickly padded underclothes on his body.

Outside, Tavlis noticed the large, moonstone sphere- a time keeper for the estate. It currently displayed a lit crescent (or the impending dawn for light dwellers).

" _I have to leave quickly or I might not get there at the proper day depending on the time distortion of the portals…I don't want to feel the guilt of not satisfying Yulia this morning or …saying my goodbyes"_ Tavlis with a flex of his hand, his armor and four sheathed katana style blades appeared over his body.

With a flash of metal and an amber glow on an immediately sheathed blade, a blueish endless looking portal cuts open in front of Tavlis. Immediately after the portal open Tavlis launched all of his blades into the air and they hovered over the ground in front of him as some sort of platinum hover bike with a metal pattern that showed the blades warping and changing size to form the bike.

Tavlis climbed on to the glider and energy flashed from the end as he propelled forward through the portal. "I wonder how everything is going for Eraqus and his apprentices when I was away anyway."

* * *

?

"Ven. Get up! We're not done!" A tall, youthful nineteen bordering on twenty year old man with slightly tanned skin and spiky dark brown hair asserted with authority with tinges of annoyance in his words, key shaped blade in hand.

The young man wore a tight black shirt that showcased his musculature, tan armor layered hakama pants covered the bottom half of his body with a golden badge on his belt, with golden dark brown metal boots housing his feet. A dark grey and dark red sectioned gauntlet covered his entire left arm with a black fingerless glove on his left hand and a black bracer covering his right wrist.

"Terra, can't you give me a break. You hit really hard, at least hold back. I felt some of my coat's chain dent a little." The fifteen year old blonde boy alleged with obvious exhaustion as he lays on the stone tile ground, backhanded key shaped sword within reach of his left arm.

"Ven, I'll fix your armor, like always, after we practice for two more hours. The exam is tomorrow and I need to refine my 'earthen spiral' technique." Terra spun his key styled broadsword, Earthshaker in his hand with trained but imperfect finesse and stabbed it into the thick ground. He crouched down to help get Ventus standing.

As Ventus started to push himself up from the stone ground, taking Terra's outstretched hand "There's nothing I can say to you that would let me go take a nap in my room?"

"There's nothing you can say th-I'll tell Aqua "Ventus claimed, interrupting Terra.

"Fine. Go. But when I say we're training, we're training, got it?" Terra stated, tense from Ventus' escape tactic.

"Gotcha. Later Terra!" Ventus warped away his key shaped blade and quickly like the wind itself sprinted inside the smooth white stone building behind the two boys.

"She always prioritizes you every time anyway….. It's becoming that everything she says to me is scolding me about you." Terra thought audibly under his breath as Ventus sprinted away.

"It's refreshing to see your training for your exam. I partially expected you to just do push-up for hours."

Terra flinched at sound of the voice. It wasn't one of the few people that inhabited the Land of Departure. It… It was familiar….but Master Eraqus didn't say anyone was visiting for the exam.

Before Terra could finalize his thoughts, He heard the near silent sound of a blade being unsheathed, with fear and adrenaline surging through his veins Terra spun on his foot and swung his blade in a blocking motion to the direction of the sound.

As the blades clashed with each other, the attacker grabbed Terra's wrist and started to force Terra's arm weight, blade in hand towards the stone ground.

The adversary started to swing the pommel of his longsword to the neck of Terra, but Terra being a single arm styled fighter used his other arm and swung with all his force into his opposer's helmet, plates of dark copper metal coating his arm as his punched.

The assaulter stepped back hand on his helmet, laughing wholeheartedly. "You haven't dulled a centimeter, it's nice to see you've been improving since I was gone."

The voice was familiar…it was him wasn't it….It's "Master Tavlis! Why are you here?" Terra almost yelled in shock and excitement.

"Just call me Tavlis, besides I'm here to help you and maybe your fellow apprentices in preparation for the mark of mastery exam. Speaking of such, you have one minute to ready yourself. We're fighting until you want to pass out!"

Tavlis walked to the longsword he dropped on the ground after Terra's punch and as he grabbed the blade with two hands, it morphed into two katana style blades.

As he walked a distance opposite of Terra and readied himself into his single blade stance,

Terra breathed deeply and focused his lingering emotions using a technique Tavlis taught him. " _Focus on your inner most desires and emotions and image or remember times and things to achieve and protect_ "

As Terra focused his inner energies, copper colored energy channeled around his right arm in armor like plates.

As the two swordsmen dashed at each other blades clashing, sparks of energy pulsed around as the two's swords clattered and bashed the opposing wielder. Tavlis with experienced grace quickly slashed to counter the force of Terra's mighty blows.

Each duel lasted seconds to minutes as the warriors swung to disarm and tire each other to exhaustion. Tavlis back stepped, dodging Terra's overhead strike and jumped over Terra using his blade as a jump point, jabbing the bottom of his blade's handle into Terra's neck.

Terra faded out of consciousness for a few brief moments as he fell to the ground on his knees, exhausted and defeated.

"Terra. You have impressed me. Now there is one more important thing we should practice, I've been indirectly training you about it, and earlier today showed me, you have very sufficient control of it." Tavlis declared as he lightly snapped his fingers causing a green glow to appear around him, his stamina quickly returning.

"Terra. Get up or do I need to get Aqua to kiss her precious boy toy better!?" Tavlis started to laugh vigorously at his humorous jab at Terra.

Terra's open hand clenched as soon as the name Aqua was mentioned. _"I don't need her to do things for me...She's better than me at magic but that doesn't matter. When I'm a master, I'll prove to her and master Eraqus that I'm strong enough to protect all of them from any monster or enemy."_

"Tavlis. Take back what you said!" Terra expressed with bitter anger, pushing himself off the ground and charging at Tavlis in a single motion with the feeling of more blood pumping in his veins.

"Heh… guess I was right about him having control and potential. " Tavlis muttered under his breath as he unsheathed two blades and readied himself for Terra's impact.

Terra leaped into the air and changed his center of gravity towards his front as his broadsword propelled downward.

Tavlis, knowing Terra's usual body speed and combat style delayed his reaction till Terra was just above him. Tavlis rotated his body out of Terra's attack moments before it would have hit him.

Tavlis waited for the second of opening after Terra's blade hit the ground but the muscular young man's blade never hit the ground. After the diving strike Terra immediately chained his earlier attack into momentum for his horizontal slash to counter Tavlis' dodge.

Tavlis was shocked from Terra having the stamina to do two full strength attacks in moments especially the dive attack as that always made Terra need a moment to slash his broadsword in a lifting slash.

As the shock withered from Tavlis, the duel melted into a melee. The two swung their blades at each other until the other yielded or if necessary fell unconscious.

Every time Tavlis went for a finishing blow dark copper plates covered Terra's body to protect him from the force and energy of the blow. Tavlis determined to end the fight, dropped his blades and struggled with Terra as he tried to pry the long blade from his grasp.

Terra, the more strength focused of the two was winning the struggle until Tavlis instead of trying to control the blade forced it to motion to the ground as he swept Terra's thickly armored leg causing him to fall.

When Terra hit the ground, Tavlis immediately started to straddle him and punch him in the chest and face. After the first set of punches Tavlis lifted himself from Terra and went to stretching his sore body.

"Terra. You are a talented fighter, one who I'm proud of to consider my family. I'm going to talk to Eraqus about the duration of my visit and then take a nap."

Terra, too tried to say any meaningful sentence without panting through it just nodded in understanding.

"Also, we could train later today or we can just go spend time with your friends instead. Okay?" Tavlis declares as he walks inside the building not expecting an answer. Leaving Terra to stretching and cool down his sore body alone.

* * *

Time passed and the sky's vibrant glow faded into a massive web of stars. A blonde boy with windswept hair, Ventus awoke from his uncomfortable sleep. His dreams simmering into the far reaches of his mind.

He turned his head to the open window just above his bed and saw stars falling through the sky at an alarming rate. The flashing stars brought excitement to the teenager as he couldn't help himself from get closer to the window.

"A meteor shower! _It's been months since the last one."_ Ventus ideates internally and externally as he pushes himself off his bed and starts to sprint outside the citadel that was his master and friends' home.

As the apprentice stopped at the courtyard outside the building "I can't see much from here" he stared at the sky and in disappointment acknowledged he has to go further out.

"What a coruscated boy…..he did mention one of them is a lightspawn." A graceful voice mutters, the voice's owner simply faded away with a flash of dark violet mist as the blonde boy ran to the overlook in the inner hills.

Ventus within a minute had ran past the training totems and up the hill to the overlook. He moved his head upward towards the meteor filled sky. "…wow…." The neophyte moved to the edge of the overlook next to a marble bench and laid on the well-kept grass. "Why does…this seem so familiar?" Ventus started to feel the warm embrace of sleep overtake him.

* * *

Sounds of metal rubbing against the grass appeared as Tavlis walked towards the outlook, fresh from his discussion with Eraqus and "Magic" lessons with Terra. He welcomed the quiet, clear, and starry night.

" _Eraqus, you really do care about them, like they were your own children…."_ The knight walked to the end of the overlook and saw the sleeping form of Ventus. "What a lazy boy, he better mature. He won't age much anyway." Tavlis grumbles under his breath as he puts his legs over the stone edge and watched the stars move at fast speeds and fade.

Another chunk of time passes before a blue haired young woman in a blue and black high collared halter top with two dark pink straps crossed over her upper body with a silver crest in the center, disconnected white bell shelves with blue tinted armor covering them, similar colored metal boots and tan fingerless gloves covering her appendages appears from the curve of the hill.

She noticed the sleeping form of Ventus and walked towards the boy. Said boy woke from the sudden movement nearby and yawned from the sudden puncture of his sleep. As he opened his eyes and saw the sky, Ventus started to get up from his sleeping position and as he went into a sitting posture, he was surprised with the presence of his only female friend and pseudo mother figure Aqua in front of him.

"Whoa!" Ventus quickly got to his knees and faced Aqua. She chuckled at his energetic show of surprise. "Gimme a break. Aqua." Ventus sputtered in response. "Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead" She affectionately responded.

"Nice to see you're not in another coma, kid." Tavlis declares, shocking Aqua as she wasn't aware of his presence or him being here in the first place.

"Oh. Master Tavlis, I didn't know you were visiting?" Aqua asked politely, keeping eye contact with Ventus as she was never completely comfortable with talking to the occasionally brash man. "Ven. is there something on your mind?"

"Just a dream. I think. Did I just dream that place up? It really felt I've been there before…looking up at the stars…" Aqua motherly rubbed Ventus on the head and chuckled. "'Cept you've always lived here with us." "Yeah….I know" Ventus replied in a melancholy tone.

The two apprentices trudged to the stone edge of the overlook to watch the stars. "So. What did you two do for the day exactly?" Tavlis question with an obvious smile on his face as he moved himself to the left side of Ventus on the stone overhang.

"I just sparred with Terra, he almost crushed my armor. I was sooo tired but Terra wouldn't let me go sleep until I said I would…umm..never mind." Ventus with his hands behind his head, cheerfully mentioned until he stopped, and quickly looked at Aqua like a child trying not to be punished. Aqua sighing in annoyance throughout Ventus' description of his day.

"I was developing my magic. About a week ago I achieved being able to cast Blizzara without even focusing on it, today was trying the same with Fira. Surprisingly it was easier after Ven almost pushed me and all of my books to the ground when he was "running" to his room after supposedly sparring with Terra." Aqua gave Ventus an annoyed look as she mentioned Ventus' annoyingly unending stamina. "I was also theorizing on ways I could increase the utility of the spell. Decreasing the speed to instead develop the force behind, multiple sources or just flat out making it have a large area of effect and quickly burst as well." Aqua describes with an unsuppressed scholarly passion.

"Um…Aqua. I was curious about something?" Ventus asked meekly from just seeing the passion that he only knew about from Terra's usual but shockingly emotional talks about her.

"Yeah, Ven?" Aqua calmly acknowledged, her previously shown passion pulled back into her body.

"Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?"

Tavlis laughed "My brother could tell books' worth of theories and answers to those questions, but the simplest answer is a saying that I can't remember at this moment. I think it's that..."

"Every star up there is another world." A partially deep voice quickly announced. "Hmph, you're finally here." Tavlis muttered almost inaudibly.

Aqua and Ventus turned their heads towards the speaker. "Terra." Aqua blurted out with a sense of happiness in her voice.

"Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own. Tavlis has come from another one himself. The light is their hearts, and it's shining on us like a million lanterns." Terra declared as walks closer to the earthy edge of the summit, Tavlis laughing at Terra's choice of words.

"Each star is the light from the radial energy barrier that works as a pseudo sun for about every world, giving life, energy, and no reason to understand other worlds for centuries." Tavlis explained in a very teacherly manner.

"What? I don't get it." Ventus mentioned, confused at Terra and Tavlis' explanations.

"In other words, they're just like you, Ven." Terra declared, on par with Tavlis' explanation.

"What does THAT mean?"

"You'll find out someday. I'm sure."

"But, I wanna know now!" Ventus demanded.

"You're too young and innocent to know now."

"Quit treating me like a kid and what do you mean innocent?" The two boys bickering caused Aqua and Tavlis to start laughing, Aqua's featherweight and Tavlis' heavy.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Terra wondered annoyed at his bickering with Ventus.

"I can't help it. You two would make the weirdest brothers." Aqua started to laugh even more.

The boys were puzzled at Aqua's word choice as the two already viewed each other as brothers in anything but blood. "Aren't we all family? Terra the father, Ven the child, and Aqua the mother. I'm the uncle and Eraqus is the grandfather. You guys always reminded me of my family respectively." Tavlis jovially announces as he wrapped his arms over the two boys shoulders in a sideways hug, laughing even more happily. The laughter started to spread and soon all four of the stargazers were laughing.

* * *

The four sat on the rock edge of the summit watching the stars twinkling and meteors flash through. Terra sat on the right most point, Aqua to his left, Ventus left of her, and Tavlis at the end of the group.

"Oh, Yeah. Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow." Aqua got up from her spot, moving her hand from Terra's and grabbed three charms out of one of her waist pouches. "I made us good luck charms" she than tossed the orange one to Terra and green one to Ventus respectively, both thanking her with their individual kind of thanks, one an approving smile and the other multiple words of thanks and wonder.

"I don't get one?" Tavlis questioned knowingly. Getting a look of awkwardness from Aqua that obviously meant "sorry". "I'm kidding, it's fine I have a kind of something like that." Tavlis pulls a charm that looks like two pieces of smoke hooking together into a spiral with four almost crescent white gold pieces making the edges. "This is the crest of my family. A gift from my amazing wife...let's move the conversation somewhere else."

The silence passed when Aqua broke it by explaining what inspired her to make the way finders. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit…" "Sorry to interrupt but I think you're talking about a paopu fruit, it's a special fruit that only grows on a world called Destiny Islands. It's mainly used to complete the ties after a marriage ceremony, since it has properties to provoke the consummation of about every single couple."

Aqua tried to hide the blush from the thoughts that went through her mind (strangely, her head looked in Terra's direction) after Tavlis' explanation of what the star-shaped fruit was. "Well….uh…the fruit…to my knowledge, represented an unbreakable connection…..in more ways than one." "So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it. Nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you supposed to make them with seashells. Heh. But I did the best with what I had."

"Oy, sometimes you are such a girl." Terra retorted upon which Tavlis wrapped an arm around his shoulder and quickly whispered "Terra, do you understand the connotation of when a female very close to your age gives you a paopu fruit?"

"I don't know. Friendship, she gave one to Ven."Terra quickly murmured back.

"Well…for when a person older gives one to a younger person it's usually a sign of familial love, but when it's people close to the same age it's usually an indirect way of showing love unless directly said otherwise." With those words said Tavlis released Terra and went to sit in the marble bench near the overhang. Terra having a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

"Hey, Terra what do you mean. "Sometimes" and what were you talking about with Master Tavlis?" Aqua quipped strangely over annoyed at Terra's remark.

"So this isn't a real good luck charm?" Ventus asked out of curiosity and possibly with intent to interrupt Aqua and Terra's discussion.

"Well. That's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on it." Aqua mentioned her annoyance replaced with her usual motherly air.

"Really? What?" Aqua held up her crystal blue way finder, a slight smile growing on her face and lifted it to face the stars. "An unbreakable connection."

A few long moments of the trio looking at the sky with their new way finders pass until Terra moves towards the open plain of grass on the summit. "Whelp, Tomorrows the exam. Anybody wanna spar?"

Ventus remembering his promise to Terra immediately responds. "I can take Yah!" Ventus ran to the other side of the clearing to face Terra within seconds.

Ventus started to charge at Terra and pushed his legs off the ground for a leapping strike, for which Terra, blade already in hand moved to cover himself from Ventus' strike. When Ventus' blade hit Terra's. For a split second, a layer of bronze energy coated Terra's blade as he used his blade to launch Ventus back a few meters.

"You're not going to win unless you stay on the offensive. " Ventus mentions as he repositions himself for another charge.

Ventus charged, Terra immediately dashed out of the way and then dashed towards Ventus, blade forward to jab him with all his momentum. Terra than followed up with whirling side slash that made Ventus lose his footing. An uppercut slash followed and then he spiraled the blade around himself and with all of his momentum slammed Earthshaker and Ventus into the ground.

Ventus pulled himself off the ground another time this day, breathed deeply a few times, stretched and then seemed completely fine.

"Well. That works fine if you're fighting one on one, but you need to know how to handle a crowd too." Aqua announced, taking Terra's place as opponent to Ventus.

The blue haired Mage stood equidistant to Ventus and waited for him to try to blitz. As soon as Ventus moved his left foot, Aqua subconsciously spun her blade Rainfell in her hand and rapidly muttered words under her breath. As soon as Ventus got within a meter of her, her words stopped and crystal blue bubbles formed out of the tip of her blade, which continuously impacted Ventus at such force and speed it sent him about three meters into the air.

The silver haired knight just watched the apprentices spar with an approving smile. _"They'll pass the exam. I have enough confidence in their abilities that they'll pass without issue."_

Terra walked closer to his two sparring partners "Okay, let's wrap this up." The next hour passed with the three all fighting each or just dueling till one yielded. When Aqua and Terra fought, she immediately went to launching ice crystals and spheres of fire at Terra who slammed them back at her with his energy covered broadsword. When Terra was open, Aqua went in for a stabbing dash that followed with her signature aerial spiral.

Terra leaped over Aqua's next fire spell and bashing her to the ground and when Terra was going to help her up Ventus casted an aero spell which caused Terra to spiral on his back in the air. Ventus then proceeded to help Aqua up from the ground.

The two then dashed to knock Terra to the ground. Terra tightened his position and orange energy formed around him in a circle as the other two put their feet in the circle, Terra spiraled instantaneously and sent the duo flying to the ends of the clearing.

Aqua casted a thunder spell on Terra as she flew head first on her back into the ground, Jolting Terra as Ventus went behind him and slammed his blade into the brunette, a flurry of strikes that sent Terra to his knees.

"Told Yah, I'm good!" Ventus cheered, spinning his backhanded sword in his left hand. As the other two apprentices got up from the ground and caught their breath. "Trust me guys, you're ready. You're gonna clean up at the exam tomorrow."

"I hope it's that easy" Terra sighed exhaustedly as he walked closer to Ventus.

"It's like the master said, power is born within the heart and when the time is right, you just need to look inside yourself, and you'll find it there." Aqua quoted calmly but still exhausted as Terra.

"All of you were impressive, but you all still have your own flaws, Aqua you should start considering a more agile and stronger stance, like one of a fencer, also start combining your spells to improve utility, I know your a gifted enough to achieve that level of magic prowess." Tavlis declared with approval and acceptance. Aqua gave an appreciative nod as Tavlis gave his advice.

"Ventus, I know you have more time to improve than the others but you should try to consider spells and techniques that involve momentum, aerial movement, and defense. You're fast. Benefit from it." "Thanks for the tips, Master" Ventus replied.

"Terra. You are like a younger brother to me, I would have viewed you as a son, but I have a son and he's about a third of your age. Use more magic or energy based techniques. You need to stay unpredictable to your enemy. If they can predict you, they can counter your strengths and press at your weak points. You have a lot of potential and I hope to see you grow. Now all of you take a breather!"

The three students spent the next half hour resting and talking about techniques the trio could synchronize together.

* * *

"Hey, Ven. We're going to head back." Terra shouted to Ventus as he, Aqua and Tavlis started to walk across the clearing to the path down the hill.

"Yeah, me too." Ventus walked after the group. Strangely Aqua stopped walking and strolled to the overlook's edge to supposedly get one final look at the stars.

Aqua pulled her crystal blue wayfinder from her waist pouch and held it between her fingerless gloved hands. "Together. Always."

"You're a nice girl, smart, agile, and bright, really bright. That light will cause unwanted things, Maiden... You'll need a guardian angel…" A featherweight but borderline arrogant feminine voice whispered near Aqua.

Said mage looked around in confusion only to see dark violet mist fading from her back for a few brief moments. Aqua immediately checked all of her energy reserves in her body and found nothing altered. _"It must be stress or something. Maybe hidden magic connected to my emotions? I'll look into some spell tomes about it in the morning."_

The blue haired maiden broke herself of her daze and started to walk after her two precious boys. Each special to her in their own ways.


	3. Masters and Monsters

In the realm of twilight between the realms of man and shadow, lies a mysterious tower. A tower that was told to house a sorcerer of great power. One that could crush worlds if he ever desired to. This great spell caster was a former key blade master, and was currently training the king of the Disney kingdom in the stubborn yet dual sided ways of keyblade mastery.

Within the final room of the tower, the sorcerer was supervising the training of his latest apprentice. A knock was heard on the wooden door. "Great sage Yen Sid, I've come to inquire about the recent disturbance that is threatening the "balance" of the realm of humans." A very noble and valorous voice called out behind the door.

The round eared king hit the ground after his training dimension was closed, the magic tome channeling it was closed by the wizard. "You can enter Sir Galahad. " The wizard grumbled and pondered as the man in bright white gold and silver armor with an apparent and massive red tint walked into the room.

"Mickey, Galahad. I cannot shake the feeling something terrible is about to transpire." Yen Sid announced to the two.

"Great wizard, they're have recent reports of creatures made of negative energy attacking the crusader stationed in multiple worlds. I believe it has something to do with the traitor, Lancelot returning from his dark realm." Galahad reported with drive and anger.

"Galahad, I can't see how Lancelot is connected to this outbreak of "unversed". I believe that is a reasonable name for those creatures." Yen Sid lectured to the crusader.

"I understand sorcerer, but the thought of Lancelot being involved seems….too…fitting. Well I must thank you for confirming my fears. I must go on my way, I need to organize my knights out of hiding and keep the monsters contained in their current worlds to prevent…more exposure." The knight walked out of the door and moments later, a giant door of light appeared and closed at the bottom of the tower in seconds.

* * *

"Today is the big day, the day where Aqua and Terra become Masters." Ventus thought as he stood in place, getting a sense of weird familiarity from seeing master Xehanort.

Inside the grand hall of the land of departure stood Aqua and Terra, in front of them stood three thrones the leftmost Eraqus, the center Tavlis, and the rightmost Xehanort.

The hall was connected to the four other branches of the land of departure's only building and castle. A multi colored glass window lit the entire outer side of the room and lamps illuminated the rest of the bright meeting hall.

Eraqus wears a white, red lined haori with a hood, a slightly shorter than normal, light colored hakama. Underneath the haori is navy blue shirt with a white X pattern on it and a thin but durable chest plate under it. Black and gold metal boots, dull blue green section his abdomen and jagged burn scars over his right eye and under his left cheek.

"Today, you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one, but two of the keyblade's chosen here as candidates, this is neither a competition, nor a battle for supremacy. Not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither. But I'm sure our guests, Master Xehanort, and Master Tavlis, did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects fall short of the mark… I trust you're ready?" Eraqus declared with authority.

"Yes!" Both prospects stated with as much confirmation and confidence they could each muster.

"Then let the examination begin!" Eraqus summoned his keyblade, master's defender in a cloud of light, he channeled his energy through the blade and five spheres of pure light form a distance away.

The two students ready themselves into their battle stance and as they were about to leap into the fray. Master Xehanort tightened his right hand and added his energy to the light spheres unknowingly to everyone but the man sitting right next to him.

"Xehanort. Do you really doubt the ability of Aqua and Terra that much?" Tavlis whispered to the rather old looking for his age keyblade master. The man in his early fifties just scoffed at Tavlis' remark.

The spheres of light started to shake as dark thick fluid like mist began to appear from the ground and air around the spheres and wrap themselves around them. The spheres went ballistic as the dark fluid tried to cover the spheres as the spheres were consuming and burning the dark fluid into mist that just faded away. Aqua could hear a scoff and a chuckle in her head but too determined at the task at hand chose to ignore it.

Everyone but Xehanort and Tavlis flinched in shock, Xehanort smirking as he leaned more out of his throne and Tavlis only smiled as his hopes for the exam to be stopped and changed started to flourish.

Terra and Aqua each slashed at a sphere and it faded into smoke, one of the spheres floated off towards Ventus. "Ven, watch out!" The two "parents" yelled at their "child". Ventus summoned his back handed keyblade, Wayward Wind and slashed at the sphere. The sphere faded away from its immediate rupture. "Don't worry about me. You two focus on the exam."

"Ven. You're in danger here, go wait in your room." Aqua cried her, motherly instincts kicking in, blasting a sphere with a Fira spell.

"No way! I've been looking forward to this, seeing you two become masters, I'm not going to miss it now!" Ventus shouted back.

"He can take care of himself, he's been out there training as just as hard as us." Terra mentioned as slashed through another sphere. Ventus shouted in agreement to Terra's words of approval.

"Stay sharp, Ven." Aqua shouted before the room went silent with only the sound of Aqua's and Terra's grunts and occasionally the sound of Ventus throwing his keyblade In a strike raid technique filled the room.

* * *

As the apprentices slashed, stabbed, and bashed through the spheres. Each felt the essence of the sphere enter they bodies in different ways. Ventus felt the thick feeling of blood flowing through his veins as it was usually a very thin feeling as most of his organs were thin.

Aqua felt a part of her inner mana reserves stretch and improve almost as the energy was upgrading the finer workings of her mind and soul.

Terra just felt a hardened bubble of unattainable energy in his body pop and all of its contents just add to his limits and reserves.

After the last sphere fractured and vanished, Ventus went back into his straight and unmoving position, Aqua and Terra moved to their spots in front of the masters' thrones. Waiting for the masters' opinion of the matter.

"That was unexpected, but one must keep a still mind, even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I chose to unfold. Which brings us to your next trial." Eraqus announced while Tavlis just muttered something unintelligible, the sound of a muffled giggle thinly bouncing in Aqua's mind.

The two masters to be moved to the center of the hall and put themselves into their combat stances. " Now, Terra and Aqua. The two of you will face each other in combat, remember there are no winners, only truths. For when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed. Begin." Eraqus declared. As Master Eraqus said the last word, the two students charged at each other.

Their keyblades clashed within moments, the two repeatedly slashed at each other, parrying and dodging every blow. Terra pushed Aqua back using his greater strength and pushed forward aggressively slashing to make Aqua trip on her dodging maneuvers. Aqua stabbed at Terra's opening and gained momentum over him, slashing vigorously.

 _"You have an abundance of anguish for this boy, don't you? Why not have your new power fix that…issue for you."_ The quiet voice whispered within the back of Aqua's mind. When Aqua went to stab her keyblade forward to cause Terra to submit, she felt a feeling of energy. Energy burning hot, a scorching feeling surged through her veins and exited into her keyblade, a blur of light bolted out of her blade and flashed past Terra's face burning the right corner of his forehead and faded away after tasting Terra's flesh. Tavlis changed his posture and obtained a concerned and curious look on his face.

Terra quickly jumped back, his offhand clutching his forehead as Aqua charged, too focused on the duel to assess her damage, tendrils of rage filled his mind as he clenched his fist and tried to channel his energy to cover his body with its protection, but instead of his energy. Light bubbled out of his reserves and when it surfaced in his hand, a black and red vapor cloud formed.

Terra quickly dispelled the energy and blocked the charging Aqua's slash. Tavlis' face changed to one of worry and slightly more wonder with the concern, with Xehanort only smirking at this new breakthrough.

The two wielders continued to clash blades for the next few minutes and the duel only ended with the two wielders on their knees panting and grunting. The two accepted the draw and went to their spots in front of the masters to hear their judgement. The three keyblade masters whispered and argued between each other, the masters stopped as Eraqus stood up and walked forward, Xehanort just behind.

"We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra. Aqua. You've both preformed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." Shock spread upon Terra's face as his dream was crushed in front of his very eyes, Aqua's turned to one of sad concern feeling Terra's pain.

"Terra. You failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check." Terra's look of shock turned into one of anger but he tried to keep it hidden. "But there is-This isn't what we agreed on Eraqus!" Tavlis shouted in frustration interrupting Eraqus.

"We agreed that both of them got the mark but needed supervision or neither of them receive it!" "Tavlis… We'll have this discussion elsewhere. Aqua as our newest keyblade master, you're entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instructions. I need to discuss…a matter of trust with Master Tavlis." Tavlis went quiet and balled his fists.

Xehanort walked off to the downward stairs at the edge of room. The room went silent, Ventus and Aqua went to comfort Terra. "Hey, you okay?" "Terra, I'm sorry" Aqua and Ventus said affectionately. "The darkness…where did it come from? I've used my inner energy before, like Tavlis taught me and it never formed as that before…it...it burned."

Terra moved his hand to the burn mark on his forehead. "Aqua…why were you given the mark when you gave me this?" Terra asked with concern and an undertone of bitter rage as the burn mark started to fade away with a copper dust forming in the air above where the burn used to be.

"I…I…don't know. I don't know what happened. I just felt this feeling of burning in my chest as we fought. "Aqua said with guilt and wonder in her voice. "Sorry. I need some time alone." Terra walks off to the end of the room and walks to the bottom exterior exit. _"Why can't things go back to the way they used to be before the exam was announced two weeks ago._ " Aqua thought in worry and frustration, clenched hand to her chest as she watched Terra walk farther away from her.

* * *

Xehanort walked down the stairs his boots tapping against the polished stone ground. "What do you make of Ventus?" "He ain't gonna cut it. Somebody got to break that loser in." A masked young man in a black and red flesh bodysuit said in his younger but spitefully deeper voice. "Not here you won't, I have to keep up appearances." Xehanort responds. "I, know that. He just needs a little incentive to leave home."

"Old man. You did some risky things. Making those spheres of light go rabid and feeding those pawns your power. You're sure it's not going to back fire?" A smug but acidly concerned voice stated. "Sage. I have planned for every outcome. You should learn not to doubt me." "Fine. Just curious. Light dwellers are judgmental bastards anyway. It's good to make sure everything is okay as planned." The man in a royal blueish gray long coat, thick multi pocketed pants, reinforced metal shoes, silver gloves on his hands, and a mask that had lenses that made his eyes look like black, white, and gray spirals said as he walked besides the old man.

* * *

Tavlis and Eraqus walked into Eraqus' office closing the door after walking in. "Eraqus. I believe you're making a mistake. Aqua shouldn't be a master, I believe Terra should be one, maybe even neither of them….the point is...did you see what Aqua did to Terra's head! She burned him…with a blade of light. I won't let your skewed beliefs of light being eternally praised and darkness being shunned ruin their relationship! "Tavlis moved around the office as he spoke, stopping at a window. Slamming his armored fist into the wall with his final words.

"Isn't it smarter to have a light attuned keyblade master and one of the dark to make sure we have both sides protected and keep each in line?" Tavlis declared with concern and a hint of desperation. "Tsuito, you of all people should know…..Nevermind. you're past what I can convince. We'll have it your way, but I still have complete faith in Aqua to be the new master of this bastion. I was giving you hospitality, but don't make me revoke that kindness." Eraqus retorted with authority and whispers of fearful rage.

"Understood. Eraqus, I have a plan. There was something off as I rode to here using the ways In between. Have this quest to find out and solve what the issue is, to see if Terra and Aqua are truly deserving of the mark. I need to discuss to Terra about this new exam, have a good day Eraqus!" Tavlis sprinted out of the office towards the main hall. " _Tavlis, you're on a path to ruin. I Hope you pull through... into the light."_

* * *

Terra sat on the bottom step of the entrance to the hills towards the mountain valleys. "Why would Aqua try to cause permanent harm to me? Was it because I have darkness?" Terra sighed "I just have to accept there's darkness within me, so what does that matter. I don't need darkness, I have the powers and magic, Master Eraqus, Tavlis, and Aqua taught me. Even if my power is something from the dark like Tavlis said. I'm strong enough to control and wield my own powers." Terra thought internally and externally.

"Yes. You are indeed strong. The darkness is nothing to fear." Xehanort announced as he stood in front of the large doors to the castle. "Master Xehanort" Terra was surprised at Xehanort's chance meeting.

"And yet. How frustrating that Eraqus refutes its power. Why. You could train with him forever and still, you would never be a master in his eyes." Xehanort mentored to Terra as he walked down the stairs, the sound of boots and a large door opening, thinly filling the air.

"But why? Help me understand, Master Xehanort. What have I failed to learn?" Terra shouted to the older man, moving his arms to his sides in an angry flourish.

"Your fine as you are. Darkness ca-You never had a proper teacher. One that could show you what it means to be a guardian of the dark." Xehanort walked down the stairs and past Terra as he was interrupted by Tavlis.

"Terra. You can still become a master, but this test isn't going to be an easy one. Hey! Xehanort, I know this prob-"Tavlis was interrupted by the thunderous ringing of the emergency bell. Terra immediately ran to the grand hall.

"Xehanort. I'm curious. Have you ever had an apprentice or a family?" Tavlis asked before he started to walk up the stairs. Xehanort only scoffed. "They would only get in the way." As a large dark corridor formed in front of him and he vanished as the corridor closed behind him.

* * *

Aqua stood in her spot in front of the thrones as Master Eraqus debriefed her on her eventual duties as guardian of the bastion and a future keyblade master. _"_ -insomuch as you are the new guardian of the Land of Departure. You must always be conscious of-"The emergency bell rang with it thunderous power as the communication gem in the back of the room glowed. "What is that?" Eraqus thought out loud as he walked behind the thrones.

Sound of boots taping against the floor increased in volume as Terra and Tavlis in tow went to their spots in the grand hall. "What happened?" Terra asked Aqua.

"I don't know, and why isn't Ven here?"

Tavlis went behind the wooden thrones to question Eraqus and overheard his discussion. "Very well than, I'll send my peoples to investigate…yes, I understand….fair well." Eraqus walked back to the front of thrones in front of the two key wielders.

"That was my dear old friend Yen Sid. As you know, he is master no more but he still keeps eyes on the tides of light and darkness. His counsel serves as signposts on the road, we wielders of the keyblade must walk.

All the more reason, then, for concern, for he tells me the princesses of heart are in danger. Not only from the forces of darkness as you may assume… But from a new threat. One that feeds on negativity, fledgling emotions taking monster form.

Yen Sid calls them the Unversed. As wielders of the keyblade, you are tasked with striking down any who would upset the balance of darkness and light. The unversed are no exception. I tried to pass this news on to Master Xehanort, but he has vanished from the area. I doubt there is any connection, and yet… This all troubles me."

This perked Terra's head up. "Master Xehanort is gone?" Aqua briefly turned her head at Terra's obvious confusion in his voice. Tavlis just smirked as this news made his test plans every more possible.

"So here we are. I need you three to get this situation under control. Eliminate the Unversed, and find Master Xehanort. I have unlocked the Lanes Between, the technique I taught to you two to open them should now work. You may use this forbidden pathways to travel between this world and countless others. The lanes have been giving more of a dark presence lately, but your armor will protect you."

"Lastly, remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell anyone there are other worlds. Now go, and fulfill you duty." Yes, Master." the two apprentices shouted. Terra started to turn and walk outside.

"Terra. There's more." Tavlis declared with authority. "Eraqus, I agreed to you saying what you wanted to."

"Terra. Consider this an opportunity. A second chance to change my mind." "What? _I thought I was too close to the dark for his tastes."_ Terra responded, his inner self bitter about his crushed dream.

"You must know, I care for you like my own son. If I could have had my way, I would name you master in a second." _"Then why did you only make Aqua master?"_

"But how can I, When you're so obsessed with power." Tavlis sighed at this statement. _"Wow. I thought only children's story writers say that. The boy would never be obsessed, he strives to protect his special someone and his family."_ The voice within Aqua's mind chuckles within a second making it very difficult for Aqua to understand the words.

"Terra, you mustn't be afraid of losing. Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness." Eraqus grabbed Terra's shoulder with a worried look in his black eyes. "Never forget." Terra bows in thanks" Thank you Master. I swear. I will prove to you, I deserve the mark." Terra declares with drive and hope. Aqua steers her head in Terra's direction, a very slight smile on her face.

Terra starts to walk down the hall towards the exit. "Terra!" Tavlis politely roared across the room. Without turning, Terra waits for his more favored master's words. Tavlis walked to the other end of the room towards Terra.

"Eraqus is telling the truth when he said this is your second chance, but instead of thinking it's your second. It's now your first, the exam today was declared null and void.

I'm your master for this new exam and I will determine if you and Aqua are deserving of the title Master. To sate your curiosity, Aqua is not a master either…don't tell her…but for Eraqus' sake , she's the new guardian of this world."

Terra could barely keep himself from smiling and hugging Tavlis from where he stood. "Master Tavlis….Let's go!" Terra shouted as he quickly walked outside the hall into a short walled plateau.

* * *

Aqua and Eraqus couldn't hear the supposedly cheerful conversation between Tavlis and Terra. "Master. I best be on my way." Aqua says affirmatively. Aqua started to walk towards the exit, Ventus quickly sprinting towards the exit massively ahead of Aqua.

"Wait Aqua. Before you depart, I have one other…well…call it a request, of the utmost priority." Eraqus asks his voice full of worry. "Yes?"

"I told Terra, this could be a second chance to show the mark of mastery, and I meant it. Master Tavlis is now responsible for Terra's examination and I have concerns about Tavlis. He's a great keyblade master of the light but he's proven to me that he trusts those that live and walk through the dark. This…trust could lead to Master Tavlis convincing Terra to embrace that dark flicker in him and if those powers were too difficult for him to handle... I want you to bring Terra back by all means necessary." Eraqus looked away from Aqua's eyes.

"If of the absolute necessity, you are allowed to dispatch Tavlis. It's for Terra's own good, I could bare to lose any of you to the darkness."

"Of course, I'll never let that happen. I promise you. I will bring Terra back, Only this time you'll understand that Terra has what it takes to be a Master, by your word not just Tavlis'.

Aqua walks towards the exit of the hall. "He's stronger than you think." Aqua opens the large exit doors just as Ventus ran down the stairs towards Terra and Tavlis.

"Terra!" Ventus yelled as he sprinted towards Terra. "There was this masked guy that said if I don't hurry, I wouldn't see you ever again. That you would leave me behind and become a different person. We're a team, so can I come with you!?" Ventus rapidly asked in question, full of worry.

Terra rubbed Ventus on the head. "Ven. You should alert…never mind. I won't change, we'll always be friends maybe even family." Terra soothed to Ventus as he crouched to be head level with him.

"Ventus, if you want to come with us. There…is a way. The portal to the Lanes Between we open won't close until we force it to, so… there's nothing we can if you go after us. You can go explore the worlds with us or on your own, but if you want to go back here, since you can't open a portal on your own. Try to find us, okay?" Tavlis kindly conveyed to Ventus.

"Ready to go, Terra?" Tavlis asked as he summoned the missing parts of his armor. Terra hit the round center piece on his shoulder guard and his body was surrounded in a flash of golden energy as metal formed under the energy covering every part of Terra's body in armor.

"I'm ready. Let's go." Terra divulged as he held his keyblade to the ground and stood in a stance, channeling his energy into the tip of the blade. When the teeth of Earthshaker glowed, Terra held his blade to the sky and a beam of light hit the sky, ripping a hole into the fabric of the world creating a pathway into the space between others.

Terra threw his broadsword into the air and it rapidly morphed into a hover bike, Ventus awing in wonder from the sight of the transforming. Terra mounted the bike and channeled energy through it to cause the back tips of the vehicle to propel itself towards the sky and through the portal, Tavlis following behind.

Ventus watched the two armored men fly off into the portal in awe. Ventus stared at the ground in thought about the…plan Tavlis gave him, and in a moment of determination and curiosity slammed his hand against the round center piece of his shoulder guard. Ventus was covered in emerald light that formed over his skin in metal armor. Ventus looked over himself in surprise and twirled Wayward Wind in his hand than threw it with all of his might into the sky. The blade morphed in second in a large winged hoverboard, which Ventus proceeded to jump onto and ride towards the open portal.

"Wait! Ven!" Aqua screamed as she went into shock for a brief moment until she was bumped into by Master Eraqus. "Where's Ventus?" He shouted as his mouth started to gape from the sight of Ventus riding out of the world into the Lanes between. "He mustn't. You have to get him back."

"Don't worry, Master." Aqua hit her left arm guard as cerulean light surrounded her body as it formed into metal plates round and flat that the light pulled together onto her body. She threw rainfell into the sky as it formed into a multi pieced hover glider as she leaped onto the glider her armor's elbow and shin plates formed additional blades that channeled a rocket style energy giving her flight without the glider and propelled the glider even faster, closing the portal as she went through.

* * *

The Vila kingdom was a peaceful place, protected by the three guardian fey, but the lakeside plain was quiet. No animal life made noise or the mirror like surface of the lake had ripples from fish. The unnatural quiet was broken by the rumbling of the tear made of light ripping the barrier of the world wider and wider until a portal formed. Clouds formed and turned darker as waves of electricity hit the ground, winds shake all of the nearby trees, and all of it stopped as the two armored men walked out of the finally formed portal.

Terra walked out of the portal, electricity like energy covering his armor until it formed a tan colored cape on his armor, shining a tan light like the rest of his armor.

"Nice touch, Terra. The long cape works for you. Looks like we Ventus got lost on the way, theirs so easy way to find him now. So we just have to hope we find him on our travels." Tavlis commented as he walked out of the portal of light.

"He can take care of himself. I believe in his ability to survive on his own. Might as well search the area for the unversed" Terra said as he looked at the peaceful lake. Purple puddles formed from the ground and small twitching bodies with pointed legs and feet with a triangular head popped out of them. (Floods)

"Monsters…so, these are the unversed!" Terra stated as he formed his keyblade. Leaping into the air to slam one of the floods into dust.

"Terra. This is the best time to use any of your "unsafe" techniques" Tavlis disclosed, weapons forming on his body as swiped two floods into mist with a katana style great sword.

"On it Master, step back!" Terra held his blade arm out as bright green energy formed around his chest, and the energy turned into a wave and a surrounding spiral of sharp wind that minced the unversed as Terra spiraled around and up into the air. Terra glowed a light gold aura as he slammed his keyblade into the unversed with incredible speed.

As all of the flood were crushed into dark purple smoke, a large bruiser1 formed behind Terra as he leaped vertically into the air and slammed his blade into the ground converting his aura into a massive energy shockwave that ripped across the ground, sending the creature flying.

The bruiser was immediately sliced in half by Tavlis with his nodachi. "Terra, you continue to impress me." Terra punched his fist into the air in victory, not noticing the near instantly cut in half bruiser as Tavlis dashed past Terra in a fiery slash. "But you still have a lot to experience."

"I think that's all of them. Lets' search the area for any clues about Xehanort or what he was doing before the exam." Tavlis sheathed his blades as he noticed a single flood running away and as he looked back at Terra, he was given the same look.

"Master, after it!" Terra ran after the flood into the glade and towards the stone structure in the distance, Tavlis right behind.

* * *

The flood was quick, quick enough to have the two wielders running after it, a third of the way on the stone bridge towards the castle of Vila. Terra leaped into the air and crushed the flood into mist when it stopped in some form of nervous twitching.

The duo just stared in awe at the massive castle before them. _"Those sigils on the towers….it couldn't be…could it? No…no…NO…_ Terra, I think we should take our journey elsewhere, I believe this doesn't have any good answers for us." Tavlis expressed with an unusual lapse of concentration.

"Master Tavlis, our mission is to find clues about Master Xehanort and clear the worlds of the unversed. We should ask the people in this castle….Who's that?" Terra said as he pointed to the black cloaked seemingly horned lady with a green crystal sphere tipped scepter.

"Is that a Fae? Only a being of that magical origin could give off such a profound malevolent and powerful aura." Tavlis wondered as Terra walked towards the woman curious for answers.

The woman turned around in expectation. "What's this? Why aren't you asleep, boy?" She asked, cueing she already knew the answer. "That fool Flora cast a spell to put everyone in this castle in a deep, deep slumber."

Before Terra could even open his mouth to respond. Tavlis quickly moved beside him and positioned himself in front of him. "We…as you can obviously notice aren't from this fiefdom, we were sent from a nearby kingdom to inquire about trade opportunities as the plant and animal life around is… very plentiful."

Tavlis was given a glare from both the woman and Terra "Oh…my apologies, we never introduced ourselves. My name is Sir Tavlis and this is my fellow, Sir Terra."

The green skinned woman smirked after Tavlis' introduction. "My name is Maleficent, as all who dwell in this kingdom would know."

"Well…Lady Maleficent. We were curious about the creatures that attacked us on our way here?" Tavlis asked, cueing Terra on what to say as he kept Maleficent's attention.

Maleficent walked to the side of the bridge staring into the cloudless sky. "Hmph…Now why would I give a thought to creatures so base, so inconsequential?" Terra gave a chuckle.

"They are base, that's for sure. Anyway, I'm looking for a member of our noble court. His name is Xehanort, ever heard of him?"

Maleficent moved her specter in front of herself, holding it tightly and out of eyesight of the two. "That name is not familiar to me." Maleficent turned around and walked farther down the bridge's stone road. "Oh…I do remember someone else leaving the castle." Maleficent declared as she smirked at the two men.

"Lady Maleficent. Do you have any ideas about why he was at this castle in particular? "Tavlis inquired, taking the role of speaker again.

"I have no theories at the moment…but if you're curious, go see for yourselves in the castle. There. The entrance is past the bridge." Maleficent slightly leaned her specter towards the front of the castle at the end of the bridge.

As Terra started to jog towards the entrance of the castle with Tavlis in tow. "Perhaps he did speak about imprisoning "the light". " Both of the swordsmen stopped in their tracks. ""The Light" could mean many things. Could he have meant Princess Aurora?"

"Aurora." Terra thought externally as he started to run towards the castle. Tavlis, going to ask another question to the fairy, but Maleficent disappeared in a plume of green fire. "Light isn't a force that can be contained, no matter how powerful the prison." Tavlis exclaimed as he ran after Terra towards the castle.

* * *

Tavlis found Terra pulling the giant metal barred wooden doors to the castle entrance. "Tavlis. Could you give me a hand here?" Terra asked as he made the doors open at an ineffective pace.

Tavlis pulled at the other large door and with the shared strength of the two men, the doors opened fully. As the doors opened, vines spiraled around Tavlis' legs launching him into a stone brick wall of the castle.

"You wanna play like that... Have a taste of your own poison!" Tavlis formed his great blade and swung it at the Thornbites. The blade shifting into a sectioned metal whip as it crushed one of the two Thornbites into purple smoke.

Tavlis swung his whip at the other Thornbite only to see it crushed into dust by another whip like blade.

Terra swung his whip towards himself as it formed back into Earthshaker. "Master Tavlis. You should be more focused in these worlds, or do I need to pick up all your slack?" Terra respectfully taunted to his new master.

"It was careless of me to relax in a…castle so quiet." The blade master said as his head snapped towards the high tower at the corner of the castle. "I sensed something…strange. Go into the castle and find the princess. I'll meet up with you" Terra walked into the castle as Tavlis flew into the air on his glider towards a high point of the castle.

* * *

Terra journeyed through the halls of the castle, slightly shocked at its lack of occupants besides the one or two armored guardsmen that he couldn't wake, no matter how hard he tried.

As he went further up the castle towards the tower, varieties of unversed appeared almost as they were trying to stop him from getting towards his goal, he toke joy in bashing and hacking the mindless bodies of the unversed, making the journey through castle worth the effort.

Terra's metal boots clicked on the tiled stone floor until he stopped in front of a door covered in an array of dark energy and small flashes of sparkles. Terra positioned his keyblade towards the door and a beam of golden light flashed into the energy causing it to fade away.

Terra walked into the room, suddenly being impacted with a massive feeling of energy that was trying to repel or devour him. He looked to his left to see a blonde young lady in a light purple dress sleeping in an expensive bed worthy of a princess. _"She's beautiful, would be nicer if her hair was a darker shade though. But…_ This feeling is so…familiar" He thought internally and then externally.

Memories of happy awakenings with dark blue in his arms sheltered themselves in his mind, only to be shattered away by an echoing voice.

"Her heart is filled with light. Not the slightest touch of darkness, just the kind of heart, I need." Maleficent affirms with pride.

"For what purpose?" Terra inquired

"Imagine with me, the most glorious of futures. Seven of the purest hearts, each overflowing with light. When brought together, they grant the power to rule all worlds." Maleficent announced with pride as she walked more towards the other end of the room.

"What do you mean?" Terra asked to feed her pride for her to explain her entire plan to him.

"Why…that key you hold, the keyblade it is called?" Terra shifted into his combat stance when Maleficent said the name of his weapon. "That trinket is the only way to obtain hearts."

"You know more then you say, answer my questions. Where is Master Xehanort?"

"Impudence will get you nowhere, Child. If you wish to learn more, you must retrieve the heart of Aurora."

"Why would I ever want to do that?" Maleficent only smirk as Terra showed, in her opinion petty resistance to her plan.

"It's not a matter of why, but of when. In your very essence, there is darkness just waiting to be awakened." Maleficent put her hand over the green orb on her staff as it glowed with green energy. The same energy formed over Terra as he struggled to get control of his own mind as thoughts and desires that weren't his own flowed into his mind.

"Darkness doesn't mean…I…would…do what you…want." Terra grunted as he continued to struggle against the magic that attacked only his mind instead of his body.

"Perhaps not yet, but I have power over sleep…and I can awaken what's inside you, and you will be free to be who you truly are. "Maleficent calmly told Terra in tone similar to a mother's.

Terra's mind in fear and desperation flashed to his master's teachings.

"Remember, the darkness lurks in every heart." "Darkness is our foe." "Would be that we could get rid of it" "You must destroy it" "push the darkness down, give it no quarter in your being"

The memories of Eraqus flashed through his mind until one he wasn't familiar with resurfaced in his mind, it was one of Tavlis.

"Terra, hopefully you're still awake to hear this. You are a special wielder. You have an affinity for energies of a more lightless origin. Power that is mostly known to be viewed as wrong and evil, but it does none of those things, to people that actually knew what they were talking about. It have given life to many, protected kingdoms, and saved the lives of many loved ones. When you become a master,I'll show you. The dark is a force that has chosen you to be its protector and you will be proud to bear that title."

As Terra focused his mind back to what his body, he felt his body doing things without his command as it started to summon his keyblade and prepared to stab it into Aurora's chest. Terra, with the last of his controllable will, started to gather golden light around the tip of his blade.

" Maybe…maybe…I am of the dark." With those words leaving his mouth Terra ripped his body to aim his blade towards Maleficent, the golden sphere of light flying at her. Terra fell to the ground, barely keeping himself up with his open arm.

"You're more trouble than it's worth. But you did help me achieve this." As she laughed, Maleficent used the energy fired at her to create a circle of crystallized magic that floated above Aurora and a sphere of light lifted out of her chest moments later and floated towards her open hands. The crystal circle splintering and dispersing after the extraction.

"Here it is, just what I waited for." She chuckled calmly as green flames surrounded the sphere as it floated in her hands. "To think, that all he spoke of, was and will be true."

"What did you do?" Terra asked he started to gain his strength back, standing back on his feet.

"like I've said before, your more trouble than it's worth, but I must thank you in helping me obtain the first of many hearts. Maybe I can offer you more of my magical abilities, in exchange for you helping me obtain the others. Join me and then we can rule all the worlds, together!" Maleficent said and then announced with pride and twisted glee.

"You seem mixed up. I'm a guardian of the worlds, not their warlord." Terra said with pride of his own.

"You've outstayed my tolerance, child. I'll find a new-"Maleficent stopping talking as a great blade was skewered through her abdominal area. "You'll…regret…that…knight. You've made a horrible decision!" Maleficent turned into green flames and disappeared with the sphere of light. Leaving Tavlis with him sheathing his great sword as Terra started to collapse in exhaustion against the wall.

"Terra. Are you able to continue?" Tavlis inquired

"I can. But... I have some questions. Why couldn't you of been here sooner so, I didn't have to suffer through that? Also…what does it mean to be a "Protector of the dark"? "Terra questioned with fear and self-doubt obvious in his mannerisms.

"When we split up, I was scouting the outer reaches of the castle and sensed a massive source of light but with that light was an abyss worth of innate darkness in the same place. I tried to get into this tower but a magic barrier was keeping me out until the caster of the spell lost her concentration, then in which you saw me try to kill her, but she's more resilient than I thought, for a Fae.

Terra, you remember that? You remember that rambling of mine. Well… Eraqus is borderline obsessive with the idea of light being a force of good and the dark being one of evil.

The dark is a force that gives life and creates but can be easily twisted by the determined, so there were keyblade masters that dedicated themselves to protecting the dark from light's aggression and the corrupt within their own ranks.

I saw your inner potential, you have used the vast energy in your will, your essence, to combat these creatures, and this energy is your inner dark filtered by your light. I've talked enough, but the last lesson for now is…only you of all the people of the land of departure has the ability to control the dark without backlash." Tavlis pulled Terra up from the floor and both swordsmen started to walk out of the room.

The castle shook, rumbles bounced all through the castle. "Something's wrong. Go!" Tavlis yelled

* * *

The two men ran down the stairs, blades in hand only to see the Wheel Master bleeding purple mist like fluid and fighting a thin man in thick dark leather clothes, studded leather gauntlets, a black face cover and a hat with withered feather like tips wielding a large rapier that shifted into a shorter one that fired bullets into the unversed, alternating with the finely crafted pistol in his other hand.

The man dashed to the side every time the unversed tried to ram him, for which the man retaliated with a bullet into it, causing it to twitch upon itself, repeating this combative process, until it gave him an opening to charge a light mist on the tip of his rapier as he stabbed the full length of it through the head of the creature.

The wheel master oozed more fluid until it faded into mist. "Galehaut. Is that you?" Tavlis wondered as he walked towards the strange blood covered hunter.

"Lancelot, why are you here? Galahad said you disappeared after Arthur's demise , and he's looking to dine on your blood. I never cared for his matters after the Knights divided to other worlds, but since you were a good brother in arms, I'll tell you what I know about this world's...prey.

I was hunting a Fae in the area and she was talking to an old man at her castle, the last time I saw her." Galehaut reported in his thick yharnamite accent, stabbing a vial of blood into his leg as he wiped the other fluids off his clothes.

"We're looking for that man, any idea where he could be?" Tavlis replied

"He used a dark portal to leave this world, I cannot help you there, but I will watch over this land, until there is no more prey to slaughter. I request you both leave and don't come back, for my loyalties might... resurface." Galehaut scoffed as he walked up the stairs towards the depths of the castle.

"Tavlis, I didn't understand anything you and this…Galehaut said" Terra said with awkward guilt. _"How much, do I really know about Tavlis?"_ anxiety and concern seeding itself in his mind.

"It's fine. We just have to trust he'll get the maiden's "heart" back. He informed me Xehanort isn't here and we better look elsewhere for him.

"Understood" Terra and Tavlis jogged outside the castle towards the bridge, Terra summoning his helmet again as the two keyblade wielders ripped a portal into the sky. Closing it as they flew towards other worlds.

* * *

A.N: 1 Whenever an unversed, nobody, or heartless gets introduced into the series. From this point forward I'm just going to call them by their name unless the person in the situation has no idea what the creatures are.


End file.
